Fink’s Fun Facts & Trends: Post SLC

Posted on May 8 2018 - 1:26pm by DV
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Fun Facts and Trends, by Dave Fink

F-M Handball Club in Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN Upcoming Tournaments

Updated Rankings Pre-Salt Lake City: SR40+, Elite Women & Pro Men

2024 WPH Aces Player’s Championship – R48Pro Stop #8: May 3-5

The JulyBreaker: July 20-21, 20024 WPH 3-Wall Icebreaker Series

MO State Singles & USHA Women’s Classic, April 26-28, 2024

JR WPH/USHA Junior Clinic with Team Carl Hayden High School

Race 4 Eight Player Bios

DF’s Race 4 Eight Fun Facts & Trends Through the R48 7

The 2017-2018 R48 7 staged its seventh and final event of the season at the Salt Lake City Aces Player’s Championship, featuring the R48, WR48, and SR48 pros in action. Killian Carroll dominated the R48 Men’s field, winning his sixth title of the season and third consecutive R48 Player’s Championship, while WR48 #1 Catriona Casey clinched her third WR48 title of the season and fifth consecutive WR48 Player’s Championship and Marcos Chavez clinched his fourth SR48 Player’s Championship.  

R48 7 Fun Facts

  • Catriona Casey became the first women’s player in the history of handball to defeat a current men’s pro in tournament play at the NYAC ‘8. Casey defeated then R48 #22 Loren Collado 25-19 in the 17th place playoffs
  • Diarmaid Nash (Montana ’18) and Shorty Ruiz (Las Vegas ’18) scored the most points (45) in a main draw loss this season
  • David Fink (#3) and Luis Cordova (#3) became the first players to face one another in the top three in the quarterfinals of a R48 event (Houston ’18)
  • Sean Lenning (#4) and Luis Moreno (#6) became the first players in the top 8 to face one another in the round of 16 of a R48 event (Montana ’18)
  • Marcos Chavez (Atlanta ’17) was outscored by more combined points in one event (31) than any player in the Elite 8 this season (58-89)
  • Marcos Chavez defeated Emmett Peixoto in the most lopsided playoff match of the season at the R48 7 Las Vegas (25-2)
  • Killian Carroll owned the best match record on the R48 7 (27-1), the most titles (6), and the largest points differential in an event of any player this season (+90 points at Houston’18)
  • Daniel Cordova finished 5th more than any player on the R48 7 (3: Tucson ‘17, Las Vegas ’18, Houston ‘18)
  • Luis “Lucho” Cordova authored the largest playoff comeback of the season, rallying from 18-24 in the 5th place playoff final in Montana to defeat Vic Perez 26-24
  • David Fink and Marcos Chavez combined for the oldest combined age of any quarterfinal in R48 history at the Las Vegas Royal Flush ’18 (84 years)
  • Killian Carroll was the only player to advance to the semifinals or better of all seven R48 7 events
  • Killian Carroll won the most points on the R48 7 (876) and owns the highest percentage of points won on the R48 7 (68%)
  • Mando Ortiz was the only player to reach a semifinal that did not outscore his combined opponents during the event (81-81 Tucson ’17)
  • Marcos Chavez (44 years, 1 month) is the oldest player to ever finish a R48 event in the top six (NYAC ’18)
  • Shorty Ruiz was the only player to score 15 points in all three games of a main draw R48 match and lose the match (R16 Montana ’18 vs. Chavez)
  • The most lopsided round of 16 match of the R48 7 season was the first match of the R48 7 season (Fink defeated Pesch 15-0, 15-2) and the quarterfinals in Houston (Carroll def Ruiz 15-0, 15-2)
  • Shorty Ruiz (45-45 vs. Chavez Montana ‘18) and Killian Carroll (37-37 vs. Lenning Las Vegas ‘18) scored the same number of points as their respective opponents but lost the matches
  • Marcos Chavez (vs. Shorty Ruiz Montana ’18), Mando Ortiz (vs. Emmett Peixoto Atlanta ’18), Sean Lenning (vs. Diarmaid Nash Montana ’18), and Dave Munson (vs. Marcos Chavez Houston ’18), Vic Perez (vs. Marcos Chavez NYAC ’18), and Mando Ortiz (vs. Peter Funchion NYAC ’18) are the only players to face match point in a main draw match and come back to win during the R48 7 season
  • There were four first-time R48 qualifiers during the R48 7 season (Langmack, Mattioni, Pat. Funchion, Garcia, Jr))

Nick Mattioni: qualified at the R48 7 Atlanta (13th) and Houston (13th): 0-3

Patrick Funchion: qualified at the R48 7 Las Vegas, finished 13th (0-2)

Max Langmack: qualified at the R48 7 Houston, finished 10th (2-2)

George Garcia, Jr: qualified at the R48 7 Player’s Championship, finished 13th (0-2)

  • Sean Lenning won his first R48 title in 22 months (Player’s Championship ’16) and sixth R48 title overall at the R48 7 Las Vegas Royal Flush
  • Killian Carroll entered the R48 7 Royal Flush ’18 on 19-match R48 winning streak but lost 15-12 in the third game to Sean Lenning
  • Catriona Casey won her 15th WR48 title in the 17th WR48 event at the ’18 Aces Player’s Championship
  • Ashley Moler advanced to her first WR48 semifinal at the Royal Flush ’18, defeating Aoife McCarthy in the quarterfinals before losing to Catriona Casey in the semifinals
  • Shorty Ruiz is the first player in R48 history to lose by two points in the third game in back-to-back R48 round of 16 matches (Ortiz in Montana, Chavez in Las Vegas)
  • Dalton Beall snapped his streak of six consecutive playoff forfeits by receiving a forfeit in the round of 16 in Las Vegas (Moreno). Beall would finally play and lose his first playoff match after the streak to Stephen Cooney
  • Daniel Cordova, David Fink, and Mando Ortiz were the only players to have lost in the round of 16, the quarterfinals, and the semifinals on the R48 7
  • Shorty Ruiz is the only player to have qualified for every event during a Race season (in the R48 7 season)
  • Luis Moreno entered a qualifier for the first time in R48 history in Montana ‘18, defeating Pete Svennungsen 25-23
  • There were 56 qualifiers on the R48 7 through the ’18 Aces Player’s Championship, only Robbie McCarthy advanced to a R48 7 final from the qualifier
  • Jonathan Iglesias’ streak of five consecutive qualifier wins was ended at the R48 7 Memorial (Beall), while Abraham Montijo’s streak of five consecutive qualifier wins ended at five at the R48 7 Houston (Langmack)
  • Marcos Chavez (Atlanta), Peter Funchion (Tucson), Robbie McCarthy (Tucson), Diarmaid Nash (Montana), Emmett Peixoto (Las Vegas, Houston), Shorty Ruiz (Houston), and Dave Munson (Houston), Vic Perez (NYAC), and Patrick Funchion (NYAC) (11 of 56: 20%)
  • Three qualifiers advanced to the round of 8 in Houston (Peixoto, Ruiz, Munson)
  • Emmett Peixoto dropped out of the R48 Elite 8 after the R48 7 Tucson for the first time since November of 2012
  • Sean Lenning and Diarmaid Nash played the longest third game in R48 history (19-17)

 

Race 4 Eight Fun Facts and Trends: October 2016-present

  1. Killian Carroll has won nine of his last 11 R48 starts, accumulating a 42-2 record in those 11 starts (95%)
  2. Luis Cordova became the first player to defeat two R48 #1’s in the same event (Fink, Moreno) in Salt Lake City ’17
  3. The Elite 8 were 44-12 against the qualifiers in the round of 16 in seven R48 6 events (79%). The Elite 8 were 44-10 (81%) through seven events of the R48 7 (Atlanta, Tucson, Montana, Las Vegas, Houston, NYAC, Salt Lake City)
  4. Catriona Casey outscored her three WR48 opponents 90-9 in Las Vegas, nearly breaking her personal tournament record of 90-7 in San Francisco ’15. Casey tied her record of 90-7 in winning the WR48 NYAC ‘18
  5. Paul Brady became the sixth qualifier to reach a R48 final at the R48 6 NYAC and the first qualifier to win an event at the NYAC ‘17
  6. David Fink became the eighth player in R48 history to reach the #1 R48 ranking (Chapman, Lenning, Moreno, Shanks, Brady, Ortiz, Carroll, Fink)
  7. Killian Carroll became just the third player to win back-to-back R48 Men’s Pro titles with wins at the R48 6 New Orleans and Houston (Brady, Moreno)
  8. Mando Ortiz became the first R48 #1 to lose in the round of 16 in a Race stop at the 2017 Houston R48 6
  9. Sean Lenning’s consecutive R48 attendance streak ended at 37, with Lenning missing New Orleans ’17 R48 Stop #38 with a shoulder injury
  10. David Fink and Killian Carroll became the third and fourth players, respectively, to appear in three straight R48 finals (Moreno, Brady)
  11. Killian Carroll owned the best winning percentage on the R48 6 (19-2: 90%). Flash finished the R48 7 season 27-1
  12. Paul Brady was the only undefeated player on the R48 6 tour (4-0)
  13. Vic Perez entered the Elite 8 for the first time following New Orleans, making him the longest-tenured R48 star to move into the R48 Elite 8 for the first time (6 years)
  14. Luis Cordova and Jonathan Iglesias played the shortest R48 playoff match in R48 history in New Orleans from the time of the first ball struck (six minutes from the time of the first serve hit)
  15. Luis Moreno became the second 10-time R48 champion with his victory at the Plummer Bash ’17 (Brady: 14).
  16. Three members of the original Elite 8 from the first Race event at the inaugural 2011 Plummer Bash are still in the Elite 8 (Lenning, Ortiz, Fink)
  17. Jonathan Iglesias and Vic Perez played one another in consecutive R48 events in Plummer ’17 and New Orleans ‘17, becoming just the second pair to draw one another consecutively in a R48 event (Nett-Fink ’11)
  18. Highest ranked R48 pros by country:

Canada: Ryan Bowler (#21 overall)

Ireland: Killian Carroll (#1 overall)

Mexico: Luis Cordova (#6 overall)

United States: Sean Lenning (#2 overall)

  1. The 2017 and 2018 Player’s Championship ended with the “C” champions and three “C” #1’s: Killian Carroll, Catriona Casey, and Marcos Chavez (courtesy of DV)

R48 Trends and Facts: 2011-Present

Through 48 events on the Race 4 Eight tour from 2011-2018, the Race 4 Eight has produced sensational tournaments, memorable matches, dominant champions and inspiring stories, all broadcast live on race4eight.com and the WatchESPN App. Read below for fun facts and trends from the first five years on the most exciting indoor pro handball tour in the sport.

 

  1. In 48 Men’s Race 4 Eight Pro events, there have been eight different champions and 15 different finalists. Of the 15 different finalists, nine have been from the U.S., five from Ireland, and one from Mexico

8 U.S. finalists: Moreno, Ortiz, Nett, Lenning, Alvarado, Al. Garner, Fink, Peixoto, D. Cordova

5 Irish finalists: McCarthy, Brady, Nash, Shanks, Carroll

1 Mexican finalist: L. Cordova

 

  1. The R48 Men’s Pro season 1 featured six different finalists in eight events from the U.S. and Ireland (U.S.: Moreno, Alvarado, Lenning, Al. Garner), Ireland: McCarthy, Shanks). The R48 2 season featured one new finalist (Brady), the R48 3 season featured three new finalists (Ortiz, Peixoto, Nash), The R48 4 featured one new finalist (Nett), the R48 5 featured one new finalist (Carroll), and the R48 6 featured two new finalists (Fink, L. Cordova). There was one new finalist on the the R48 VII (D. Cordova)

  1. Catriona Casey became the last player to start a Race 4 Eight event and not lose. Casey’s seven-tournament WR48 undefeated streak was ended by two-time defending world champion Aisling Reilly in an 11-9 tiebreaker at the 2015 Simple Green U.S. Open

 

  1. Catriona Casey leads the WR48 with 15 titles in 17 starts. The only other players with a WR48 title are Aisling Reilly (1) and Martina McMahon (1)

 

  1. Catriona Casey and Aisling Reilly are the only women to have started a WR48 event and never lost before the semifinals. Casey and Reilly have never lost a WR48 match before the final. Catriona Casey has appeared in every WR48 final ever held (15-2 in 17 WR48 finals). Every R48 Men’s pro has lost before the semifinals in R48 events

 

  1. After winning nine of the first 18 R48 events, Moreno won his first Race title in three years (Houston ’14) for his 10th Race title at the R48 6 Plummer Bash (2nd overall: Brady)

 

  1. Luis Cordova is the youngest R48 pro to finish the season in the Elite age: 21 years old in 2012

 

  1. Of the 31 players currently ranked on the Men’s Pro R48 tour, four countries are represented
  • United States: 20
  • Ireland: 7
  • Mexico: 3
  • Canada: 1

 

  1. Of the 20 U.S. R48 pros currently ranked, eight states are represented
  • California (6): Peixoto, Ortiz, M. Chavez, Perez, Collado, Torres, Garcia, Jr.
  • Arizona (4): Moreno, Fink, Montijo, Ruiz
  • New York (3): Iglesias
  • Texas (3): Al. Garner
  • Minnesota (1): Stoffel
  • Oregon (1): Beall
  • Washington (1): Lenning
  • Iowa (1): Pesch
  • Tennessee (1): Mattioni
  • Missouri (1): Langmack
  • Illinois (1): D. Munson

*Although several U.S. based R48 Pros were born in other countries, the R48Pros listed above live in these U.S. states

 

  1. 24 years separates the youngest player on the R48 tour and the oldest
  • Youngest ranked R48 pro: Tyler Stoffel (20)
  • Oldest ranked R48 pro: Marcos Chavez (44)

 

  1. Colin Crehan was the youngest qualifier in R48 history at the 2015 R48 NYAC (19)

 

  1. The largest age gap in a Race 4 Eight final: Killian Carroll vs. David Fink (16 years)
  2. The smallest age gap in a Race 4 Eight final: Sean Lenning vs. Allan Garner (4 days)

 

  1. Sean Lenning played in the most consecutive R48 events to start a R48 career before missing New Orleans ’17 (37)

 

  1. Most R48 events started: Lenning (47), Luis Moreno (42), David Fink (46), and Emmett Peixoto (43)

 

  1. David Fink made the most career Race starts before making his first final (34)

 

  1. Catriona Casey is the only WR48 pro to have started every WR48 event (17)

 

  1. 22 of the last 25 Race 4 Eight events have appeared on ESPN3, starting with the 2014 Simple Green U.S. Open

 

  1. The Race 4 Eight averages 14 hours of coverage per weekend on ESPN3, not including ESPN3 replays

 

  1. Gavin Buggy is the only player to have appeared on ESPN and never lost

 

  1. The Cordova brothers have appeared in nine combined R48 semifinals (Luis: Minnesota ’16/NYAC ‘17/Salt Lake City ‘17/Salt Lake City ‘18, Daniel: Salt Lake City ’15, Daniel: Atlanta ’17, Luis: Las Vegas ’18, Daniel: NYAC ’18, Salt Lake City ‘18). The Flying Cordovas have appeared in two combined finals: Luis: Salt Lake City ’17, Daniel: NYAC ’18

 

  1. The first R48 final to enter overtime was the second game of the R48 II Houston final between Charly Shanks and Naty Alvarado (Shanks won 20-18)

 

  1. The largest age gap between R48 players in a main draw match was Tom Sheridan vs. Luis Moreno (20 years)

 

  1. Counting only round of 16 and Playoff matches, Tommy Little owns the worst record in R48 history (0-9)

 

  1. Shorty Ruiz snapped a 24-match R48 losing streak at the R48 7 Tucson, defeating Abraham Montijo and Ryan Pesch to advance to the 9th place final. Ruiz won his first R48 main draw match in Houston ’18, defeating Vic Perez

 

  1. John Bike, Jr. was the oldest qualifier in R48 history at the 2013 R48 II Houston (47 years, 11 months)

 

  1. In 48 Men’s R48Pro events from 2011-present, eight different players have won a Race title
  • Brady: 14
  • Moreno: 10
  • Lenning: 6
  • McCarthy: 3
  • Shanks: 2
  • Garner: 1
  • Ortiz: 2
  • Carroll: 10

 

 

  1. Top five winning percentages on the Men’s Pro Race 4 Eight Tour:
  • Paul Brady has won 14 of 18 R48 events he has entered: 78%
  • Robbie McCarthy has won 3 of 9 R48 events he has entered: 33%
  • Luis Moreno has won 10 of 42 R48 events he has entered: 24%
  • Sean Lenning has won 6 of 47 R48 events he has entered: 13%
  • Charly Shanks has won 2 of 16 R48 events he has entered: 13%
  • Killian Carroll has won 10 of 19 R48 events he has entered: 53%

 

  1. In 48 official Men’s Pro R48 events, 1, 465 players have entered, including the invited pros, qualifiers, and U.S. Open (open draw)

 

  1. In 19 SR48 events held since 2012, six players have won a SR48 title
  • Chavez: 10 (10-2 in finals)
  • Alvarado: 3 (3-4 in finals)
  • Schad: 2 (2-0 in finals)
  • Buggy: 1 (1-0 in finals)
  • Meiring: 1 (1-0 in finals)
  • Fink: 2 (2-1 in finals)

 

  1. Tyler Hamel (4), Dan Armijo (1), Dave Vincent (1), Matt Mclaughlin (1), John Bike (1), Tom Sheridan (1), and Chris Watkins (1) have all advanced to SR48 finals but not won a title

 

  1. Tyler Hamel lost in the SR48 Houston final in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016

 

  1. Of the 1,465 combined players that have entered the 48 Men’s Pro R48 events since 2011, 648 earned prize money

In comparison, 9,882 players entered the 2015 Men’s U.S. Open (golf) qualifying with 49 exempt into the actual U.S. Open for a total of 9,932 players, 75 of whom were paid (0.7%) Information retrieved from here

 

  1. In the 38 events that have featured qualifier brackets, 841 qualifiers entered: *The six R48 Simple Green U.S. Opens and Plummer ’17 were open tournaments, the first three WPH Player’s Championships included only the top eight

 

  1. In the 38 official R48 events that featured a qualifier bracket, seven qualifiers out of 841 advanced to a final (.8%), with one of the seven winning the title:
  2. Ortiz: R48 III Plummer 2013
  3. Nash: R48 III Houston 2014
  4. McCarthy: R48 III NYAC 2014, R48 VII Tucson
  5. Nett: NYAC R48 IV 2015
  6. Carroll: New Orleans R48 V 2016
  7. Brady (win): NYAC 6 2017

 

  1. R48 Men’s R48 Pro Finals Records:
  • Brady: 14-0
  • Moreno: 10-6
  • Lenning: 6-10
  • Shanks: 2-4
  • McCarthy: 3-2
  • Garner: 1-2
  • Ortiz: 2-7
  • Alvarado: 0-5
  • Peixoto: 0-2
  • Fink: 0-3
  • Carroll: 10-3
  • Nett 0-1
  • Nash: 0-1
  • Cordova: 0-1
  • Cordova 0-1

 

  1. Luis Moreno and Sean Lenning have played in the most R48 finals (16)

 

  1. Paul Brady has won the most R48 events (14)

  1. Sean Lenning has the most losses in a R48 final (10)

 

  1. Race 4 Eight #1 Pros: History

David Chapman (2011: 2 months)

Sean Lenning (2012: one month)

Luis Moreno (2012-2014, 2017-current: 2 years, 3 months)

Charly Shanks (2013: 8 months)

Paul Brady: (2014-2016: 2 years, 0 months)

Mando Ortiz (2016-2017: five months

Killian Carroll (2017: 10 months-current)

David Fink (2017: one month)

 

  1. David Fink is the only player to be ranked #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, and #8 on the Race 4 Eight Tour

 

  1. Naty Alvarado (5), Emmett Peixoto (2), Diarmaid Nash (1), David Fink (3), Andy Nett (1), Luis Cordova (1), Daniel Cordova (1) are the only players to have advanced to a R48 final and not won a title

 

  1. R48 Men’s Pro Champions have ranged in age from (22) Luis Moreno at the Plummer R48 I Stop #1 and Killian Carroll (22) at the R48 V Player’s Championship to (37) Paul Brady at the R48 6 NYAC

  1. The only player to have been ranked inside the Men’s Pro R48 Elite 8 since the inception of the R48 tour in 2011 (48 events) is David Fink

 

  1. The youngest Race 4 Eight Champion in history was Catriona Casey at the WR48 I Stop #1 Simple Green U.S. Open (20)

 

  1. In 18 R48 Men’s Pro starts, Paul Brady has a match record of 60-3 (95%)

 

  1. The WR48 has held 17 events since the inception of the tour in 2013

WR48 Finals Records:

  • Casey: 15-2
  • Reilly 1-6
  • Gawley: 0-1
  • Ni Churraoin: 0-1
  • McMahon: 1-3
  • Peixoto de Melo: 0-1
  • Koehler 0-1
  • Tuohey: 0-1

 

  1. There are currently 9 women ranked on the WR48 tour. Of the nine, three are from Ireland (Casey, McMahon, Rushe), six are from the U.S. (Tuohey, Davis, Moler, Koehler, Peixoto de Melo, Daskalakis)

 

  1. In 17 Women’s R48 starts, Catriona Casey owns a 52-2 match record (96%)

 

  1. November ’17 marked the first time in R48 history that two 40-somethings have held R48 Elite 8 rankings (Fink, Chavez)

 

  1. David Fink and Marcos Chavez are the only players to play one another twice in the same event: Las Vegas ’18 R48 quarterfinals and SR48 finals

 

  1. No teenager has ever been ranked in the R48 Elite 8, three 40-somethings have been ranked in the R48 Elite 8 (Alvarado, Fink, Chavez)

 

  1. Emmett and Courtney Peixoto de Melo and Robbie and Aoife McCarthy are the only brothers/sisters to be ranked on the Race 4 Eight

 

  1. Daniel Cordova became the first player to win the 5th place playoffs without dropping one point at the ’17 Tucson Memorial (consecutive forfeits)

 

  1. Dalton Beall holds the record with six consecutive R48 playoff forfeits (October 2016-Feb 2018)

 

  1. Allan “The Blonde Bombshell” Garner is the only R48 Champion to have only one R48 title. The other six R48 champions have won between 2-14 titles

 

  1. Allan Garner/Aaron Garner and Luis Cordova/Daniel Cordova are the only brothers to have held R48 rankings

 

  1. Luis and Daniel Cordova are the only brothers to have played one another in R48 play: Tucson Memorial R48 V Stop #2 5th Place Playoff, R48 V Stop #3 New Orleans, Houston R48 V 9th place playoff, Plummer R48 6 9th place playoff , Houston R48 6 5th place final, Houston R48 7 5th place final (Luis leads 4-2)

 

  1. Martina McMahon became the first left-handed player to win a R48 or WR48 stop at the 2017 Tucson Memorial
  2. No player has entered a R48 Men’s Pro event and not lost in the round of 16
  3. Of the 96 R48 finalists in 48 R48 events, seven have been qualifiers, one qualifier won a title (Brady)
  4. The only R48 pros to have never entered a qualifier are Sean Lenning and David Fink
  5. Jonathan Iglesias has qualified the most times of any player on the R48 tour (23), followed by Abraham Montijo (19)
  6. The only players to face a match point and win a main draw Men’s Pro R48 match are:
  • Alvarado vs. Shanks Plummer 2011 (Alvarado 12-21, 21-17, 11-10
  • Alvarado vs. Al. Garner Plummer 2011 (Alvarado 16-21, 21-20, 11-7)
  • Fink vs. Iglesias Tucson 2013 (Fink 27-25)
  • Fink vs. Cooney Simple Green U.S. Open (2013) 17-21, 21-19, 11-10
  • Shanks vs. Peixoto Denver 2013 (Shanks 28-26)
  • Perez vs. Ortiz Tucson 2014 (Perez 10-15, 16-14, 15-8)
  • Crehan vs. Fink NYAC 2015 (Crehan, 1-15, 17-15, 15-13)
  • Ortiz vs. L. Cordova Salt Lake City 2016 (Ortiz 11-14, 16-14, 15-2)
  • Ortiz vs. Peixoto Atlanta 2017 (Ortiz 7-15, 17-15, 15-1)
  • McCarthy vs. Lenning Tucson 2017 (McCarthy 3-15, 16-14, 15-2)
  • Lenning vs. Nash Montana 2018 (Lenning 8-15, 15-13, 19-17)
  • Chavez vs. Ruiz Las Vegas 2018 (Chavez 17-15, 11-14, 17-15)
  • Munson vs. Chavez 2018 (Munson 3-15, 17-15, 15-13)
  • Ortiz vs. Pet. Funchion (Ortiz 6-15, 16-14, 15-9)
  • Perez vs. Chavez (Perez 15-10, 11-15, 17-15)
  1. Anthony Selestow has attempted to qualify more than any player on the R48 tour (24)
  2. Qualifier Statistics:
  • 103 players attempted to qualify during the R48 I season (21 qualified)
  • 86 players attempted to qualify during the R48 II season (30 qualified)
  • 91 players attempted to qualify during the R48 III season (25 qualified)
  • 152 players attempted to qualify during the R48 IV season (26 qualified)
  • 168 players attempted to qualify during the R48 V season (40 qualified, thus far) (per Luis Cordova, Sr.)
  • 125 players attempted to qualify during the R48 6 season (40 qualified)
  • 190 players have attempted to qualify thus far during the R48 7 season (33 qualified)
  1. 88% of the players entering the qualifier qualified during the R48 I season, 17.1% of the players entering the qualifier qualified during the R48 IV season (per Luis Cordova, Sr.)
  2. In the 15 WR48 events Catriona Casey has won, Casey won 97 out of 101 games played (96%)
  3. Two-time defending world champion Aisling Reilly (2012, 2015) is 1-7 in WR48 finals, with her lone victory coming in the 2015 Simple Green U.S. Open
  4. Catriona Casey leads Aisling Reilly 7-1 head-to-head in WR48 play with 15 WR48 titles to one for Reilly
  5. Max Langmack (6’8) became the tallest pro in R48 and pro handball history when he qualified at the R48 7 Houston (finished 10th)
  6. The largest height disparity in a R48 match is 11 inches (Shanks vs. Ortiz, Shanks vs. Iglesias, Nett vs. Ortiz, Nett vs. Iglesias)
  7. Andy Nett and Charly Shanks combined to create the tallest R48 match in history (152 inches)
  8. Tyler Hamel is the only player to have played in a R48 qualifier and never lost one point
  9. Sean Lenning has the most match wins in Race 4 Eight history (100) *match wins include R48 main draw and playoff matches
  10. After reaching #2 in March of 2014, Emmett Peixoto dropped out of the R48 “Fab 4” for the first time in 22 months following the R48 V Houston (currently #11)
  11. Mando Ortiz reached a career-high R48 ranking of #1 following the R48 6 Minnesota (2016)
  12. Mando Ortiz became the first R48 pro to defeat four former or current WPH #1 pros in his maiden R48 title in Houston 2016: Emmett Peixoto (2008), Allan Garner (2009), Paul Brady (2016), Sean Lenning (2012)
  13. Mando Ortiz and Marcos Chavez became the first duo from the same club (LAAC) to win Race 4 Eight singles titles at the same event (Houston ’16, Minnesota ’16). Sean Lenning and David Fink became the second duo from the same club (Tucson Racquet Club) to win Race 4 Eight singles titles at the same event (Las Vegas ’18)
  14. Of the current R48 Men’s Elite 8, seven players wear unpadded gloves, one player wears padded gloves, two players wear liners, seven players wear open-lensed eye protection, one player wears lensed eye protection
  15. Paul Brady (3), Charly Shanks, Andy Nett, and Jonathan Iglesias are the only players to defeat Luis Moreno and Sean Lenning in the same R48 event
  16. Three members of the original Elite 8 from the first Race event at the 2011 Plummer Bash are in the current Elite 8 (Lenning, Ortiz, Fink)
  17. One member of the original Elite 8 (2011) has a wife and family (Alvarado), three members of the current Elite 8 (2016) have a wife and family (Fink, L. Cordova, Peixoto)
  18. Paul Brady held the longest winning streak on the R48 Men’s tour: 20 matches and five tournaments (2014-2015)
  19. Catriona Casey held the longest winning streak on the WR48 tour: 24 matches (2013-2015)
  20. Marcos Chavez held the longest winning streak on the SR48 tour: 12 matches (2015-2016)
  21. Marcos Chavez became the first player in Race 4 Eight history to defeat doctors in consecutive matches at the 2016 SR48 Houston (Dr. Dan Zimet and Dr. Tyler Hamel)
  22. Mando Ortiz became the first player to defeat Paul Brady in international singles play and win the tournament since 2004 (Chapman) at the 2016 Houston R48 V Stop #4 (Killian Carroll became the second at the R48 V Player’s Championship)
  23. Paul Brady has lost just twice in the semifinals in a R48 event (14-2)
  24. Mando Ortiz became the first R48 champion to win back-to-back tiebreakers by the minimum margin of two points in the semifinals and finals of a R48 event (Houston 2016: 15-13 x 2)
  25. Shorty Ruiz became the first player in R48 history to lose back to back round of 16 matches by two points in the third game (Montana ’18, Las Vegas ’18)
  26. Mando Ortiz became the first player to win a R48 Men’s Pro event (Houston) in his 20s in 10 R48 events (McCarthy: 2014 R48 Player’s Championship)
  27. Sean Lenning is the current 1-Wall Small Ball World Singles Champion and USHA 3-Wall National Champion
  28. Ashley Moler is the highest ranked R48 or WR48 doctor in history (currently #6). Dr. Tyler Hamel is the highest ranked doctor in SR48 history (#5, January 2015)
  29. Of the eight R48 champions, six have been ranked #1 on the Race 4 Eight: Moreno, Lenning, Shanks, Brady, Ortiz, Carroll
  30. Eight players have been ranked #1 on the R48 Men’s Pro Power Rankings: Chapman, Lenning, Moreno, Shanks, Brady, Ortiz, Carroll, Fink
  31. Only Catriona Casey has been ranked #1 on the WR48 Power Rankings
  32. Two of the nine ranked WR48 pros (McMahon and Daskalakis) are left-handed (22%). Two of the 31 ranked R48 pros (Fink, Nash) are left-handed (6.5%)
  33. The only matchup between left-handed players on the R48 Men’s Pro was John Bike Jr. vs. David Fink at the first R48 event (Plummer 2011: first Race match ever played)
  34. Ryan Pesch/Pete Svennungsen and Ryan Pesch/Adam Bernhard are the only attorneys to have played one another in R48 play (Plummer ’17)
  35. Pete Svennungsen has entered and back out of the most qualifiers in R48 history (7)
  36. The four R48 pros to have played in at least 36 R48 events have all appeared in at least two finals (Moreno, Lenning, Fink, Peixoto)
  37. John Bike Jr. is the only current USHA Hall of Fame member to have played on the Men’s R48
  38. Luis Moreno is the only R48 pro to have finished 1st, 3rd, 5th, 9th, and 13th in a Race event
  39. David Fink and Aaron Garner are the only players to have forfeited a R48 main draw match (Fink: 2013 R48 III Houston, 2013 R48 IV Simple Green U.S. Open, Garner: 2016 R48 V Player’s Championship)
  40. Jonathan Iglesias and Vic Perez became the second qualifiers to face one another in the quarterfinals of a Race 4 Eight event at the 2016 Salt Lake City Aces Stop #6 (Aaron Garner vs. Anthony Selestow were the first, 2013 Houston R48 II)
  41. Of the current R48 Elite 8, four have college degrees and two have a Master’s degree
  42. Paul Brady, Killian Carroll, and Sean Lenning are the only R48 men’s pros to have started in a Race 4 Eight destination and never lost a match

Brady: Simple Green U.S. Open (4 titles), NYAC (4 titles), Denver (1 title), Tucson (1 title), Seattle (1 title), San Francisco (1 title)

Carroll: Atlanta, Montana

Lenning: Las Vegas

  1. Adam “Weekend at Bernie’s” Bernhard, esq and Ryan “Depeche Mode” Pesch are the only attorneys to have ever been ranked on the R48 tour (*Yes, you need a nickname if you are a lawyer on the R48 tour)
  2. In the 17 WR48 events held since the inception of the tour at the Simple Green U.S. Open ’13, there have been three different champions: Casey (15), Reilly (1), McMahon (1). In the last 16 R48 Men’s pro events, starting with Salt Lake City ’16, there have been six different champions: Carroll (10), Brady (3), McCarthy (1), Ortiz (1), Moreno (1), Lenning (1). In the last 16 women’s tennis Grand Slams, starting with the 2014 French Open, there have been nine different champions: S. Williams (6), Kvitova (1), Sharapova (1), Pennetta (1), Muguruza (2), Kerber (2), Ostapenko (1), Stephens (1), Wozniacki (1)
  3. Ryan Bowler is the highest ranked Canadian R48 pro in history (currently #24)
  4. Catriona Casey pitched the only perfect game in the history of a Race 4 Eight final in not allowing a point or a side out in the final of the San Francisco Olympic Club Del Grande Dealer Group ’15
  5. The most attempts at qualifying without ever qualifying is 19: Michael Gaulton
  6. The average height and weight of the current R48 Elite 8 (Carroll, Moreno, Fink, Lenning, Ortiz, L. Cordova, D. Cordova, M. Chavez, V. Perez): 5’10.4, 181 pounds
  7. The average age of the current R48 Elite 8 is 30.75
  8. Anthony Sullivan defeated Michael Gaulton 27-25 in the first Junior WPH R48 Showdown (Salt Lake City, 2016)
  9. Aimee Tuohey became the second WR48 pro (Casey) to compete in a R48 qualifier at the Atlanta R48 7 Stop #1
  10. Ryan Pesch was the first player in R48 history to receive a donut to kickoff a R48 season (first match, Atlanta R48 7 Stop #1)
  11. Abraham Montijo and Sergio Sotelo won the inaugural JR WPH Salt Lake City Pro/Junior Doubles (2017)
  12. The five tallest players ever ranked on the R48 tour are Max Langmack (6’8), Andy Nett (6’3), Charly Shanks (6’3), Adam Bernhard (6’3), Sean Lenning (6’2), Loren Collado (6’2)
  13. The LAAC won the inaugural Manning Cup by defeating Team Tucson at the Tucson Memorial ’17, earning the title of best handball club in the world. Mando Ortiz, Marcos Chavez, and Vic Perez represented the LAAC in the ’17 Manning Cup. The Manning Cup was named for WPH film crew superstar Ben Manning
  14. To see the full List of Race 4 Eight Champions and Finalists (2011-present), go here
  15. To view the Race 4 Eight Pro Player Bios, go here

David Fink

WPH Senior Statistician

 

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